Palouse to Cascades Trail, Iron Horse State Park, Washington
At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, we believe that every person—regardless of race, gender, geography, income, age, ability, sexual orientation or expression, or other minority status—deserves access to free, accessible and safe places where they can walk, bike and be active. We believe trails have the power to transform communities and create joyful, vibrant public spaces that are equitable and inclusive.
Yet, in the United States, access to trails and the outdoors is a privilege. Institutional and structural injustices rooted in discriminatory policies and planning practices perpetuate inequities in our access to the outdoors, including access to quality trails. These injustices add to the burdens society places on those who are most underserved—furthering outsized health and wellness, economic and mobility challenges.
We are committed to better understanding and addressing current and historical inequities that impact who has access to trails, through analytical methods as well as lived experiences. We place significant value in authentic community-led planning processes to reflect local needs and values, ensuring that residents derive long-term benefits from trail projects and related economic development initiatives.
At RTC, we take seriously the responsibility and opportunity to create valued community space that connects people rather than divides and separates people. Our work needs to prioritize grassroots leadership, emphasize introspection and acknowledge historical injustices that continue to negatively impact people’s lives.
As the nation’s leading trails organization, we will use this equity lens to focus our own internal structure and decisions. We will challenge ourselves, and the trails and outdoor movement, to lead with an equity mindset. We strive to increase the diversity in the representation of our organization and in the field. And we will celebrate and hold up stories and experiences that align with these values.
Together, we will build a future where everyone, everywhere can safely be active outdoors.
At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, central to our mission is creating healthier places for healthier people.
Now, more than ever before, it is evident that the outdoors are vital to our wellbeing. Yet, it is painfully clear how inequitable access is to trails and the outdoors in our country. We believe that every single person deserves access to the outdoors—free, safe places where we can walk, bike and be active together.
Access to trails and the outdoors is a privilege. When black and brown people aren’t able to get outside safely—without fear of violence—historical social injustices are deepened and systemic racism reinforced.
At RTC, we take seriously the responsibility and opportunity to create valued community space that connects people. We are committed to better understanding and addressing current and historical inequities that impact who has access to safe, outside spaces and trails.
We know the transformative power of trails to create joyful, vibrant public spaces that are equitable and inclusive. That potential cannot be realized unless we stand against racism together. —Ryan Chao, President
Rails to Trails Conservancy
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (PTCT), which spans 289 miles across Washington, is the longest rail trail in the US. Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manage the PTCT. It is open to hiking, horseback riding, and biking (non-motorized). There are only five camping locations along the trail and you must register online to recreate on the trail east of the Columbia River.
Towards the trail’s east end, a section passes by Rock Lake, called Hole in the Ground. Rock Lake is the largest lake on this side of the state, a remnant of the Ice Age Floods, surrounded by tall basalt cliffs, making access to the lake limited and difficult. There are many stories about Rock Lake, related to the mystery of its depth and remoteness – from it being haunted, to having fresh water monsters making it their home, to there being cargo casualties of military vehicles, Model T sports cars, and more, from train derailments along the lake.
What is left of the railroad trestles and tunnels along the lake is quite beautiful, and that is why I learned of the Palouse to Cascade Trail. Last summer, I made a few trips there to explore. I have always loved the contrast of man-made structures in the wilderness, and train trestles and tunnels built along cliffs above a deep and mysterious lake are my jam. The Hole in the Ground section of the PTCT has a little forest coverage, but otherwise, the only prevention from exposure depends upon where the sun is situated in relation to the cliff walls that line one side of the trail. The first bridge you cross has been rehabilitated into a pedestrian bridge and is also the relocation of two remaining trail cars from a derailment that occurred in 1980.
The trestles are as sketchy as they are beautiful. Despite the risk of traversing these, I hope they never rehabilitate them. I imagine it is on the long list of improvements needing to be made to the PTCT, though, as it would require one simple misstep to have a detrimental experience. For me, that adds to the beauty.
The well-placed tunnels provide relief from heat and sun while walking the trail. If you pay attention, you will notice bats flying above you, which is quite exciting for this hiker. When you get to the end of this section, a major rock slide on the tracks after a tunnel requires bouldering to go any further.
There are many detours along the trail right now, but the development of critical areas is constantly underway. Last year, towards the west end of the PTCT, the Beverly Bridge was repaired and opened for travel. The original bridge was constructed in 1909, by a railroad company, crossing 69 feet above and one mile across the Columbia River. The bridge was closed in 1980, placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1982, and in 2017 was placed on the list of Most Endangered Places. Washington State, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the Wanapum Tribe, Rails to Trails Conservancy, and the PTCT Coalition worked to raise $ 5.5 million to rehabilitate the bridge and complete a vital step in the Great American Rail Trail project.
On day two of a three-day adventure (day one here), Trailkat and I walked 9 miles of the Beverly Bridge section of the PTCT, soaking up the sunshine and fighting 20+ mph winds. We parked at the little town of Beverly, which is not necessarily a trailhead, but there was a place to park and an opening in the boundary fence to access the trail. We walked a few miles through the US Army’s Yakima Training Center from the Army East Trailhead. There are kiosks to register your activity, but there were no documents at the kiosks – but there are instructions stating that trail users are prohibited from leaving the trail and documenting any observed military activity.
We continued walking a few miles in the opposite direction when we got to the car, and it was almost entirely a whole new world. Beverly may have once been an established little town for hundreds of railroad workers to move railroad cars to Hanford Site, but after the railroad company filed bankruptcy, the train station ended up being demolished. Today, it is an unincorporated town home to migrant workers for local wineries and orchards. I do not write this from a place of disrespect, but sometimes acknowledging something feels so negative that we feel we should be offended: Beverly looks like a very difficult place to live. Some of the homes did not have front doors, and the houses that seemed to be in better condition had bricks lining their roofs to secure their shelter during the nearly always windy weather. I asked TrailKat how she thought they disposed of trash because there were no visible garbage receptacles or burn piles. Not much later, we had our answer – the trash was put outdoors. Furniture, children’s toys, and many items that were not recognizable without getting into it.
The experience was so humbling. I remain humbled. We are a nation of immigrants, yet immigrants feel safer (and to be honest, “we the people” feel safer) if they are segregated to unwanted pieces of land to work jobs that we do not want for low wages we would never accept. Despite their positive impact on our lands and capitalism, they are left to fend for themselves to provide their children shelter and education, and then we hike through their land judging them.
At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, central to our mission is creating healthier places for healthier people.
And this is why the Rails to Trails Conservancy is so vital. So, please donate to your public lands, get on the trail, and see worlds unfamiliar to you – they are closer to your front door than you might think; whether you choose to see it or not, it is ultimately your world, too.
Rails to Trails Conservancy
